NBA Season 2024-25

[Roy H.]

At what point do the 76ers just decided to start tanking? Shut Embiid down, shut George down?

They owe a top 6 protected pick to OKC (they traded this to dump Horford back in 2020). Currently they are 20-33 just one game back of Brooklyn (19-34) for the 6th worst record and within possible range of catching (17-37) for the 5th worst. Going from 7th to 6th or 5th would boost the odds of keeping their pick from 32%->45.8%->64%.

Embid has already said he thinks he needs another surgery, meanwhile although they could very well catch the Bulls for the 10th seed they are still 5 games behind the 9th seeded Magic so pulling above 10th seems unlikely. Then what? Two road games just to get waxed by the Cav's in the 1-8 if you make it?

It makes all the sense in the world for these guys to pack it in.

It does.  It also makes me vomit, thinking that they could end up with Flagg.

Ya hopefully Silver can fix it so he doesn't end up on that dumpster fire of a franchise.

This raises a question, out of lets say the top 9 teams in the NBA draft (WAS, NOP, UTA, CHA, TOR, BRK, PHI, CHI, POR) where would people WANT Flagg to end up? In terms of good fit, likely to win, most entertaining, ect.

Somewhere out West.  Probably Utah.

Utah or Charlotte for me. Charlotte is a sneaky good basketball city but they've unfortunately just been so bad. Those days with Kemba were fun though including playoffs.

I'm hoping for Utah, but I keep envisioning him in Charlotte.  Playing with LaMelo would be fun.

[keevsnick]

At what point do the 76ers just decided to start tanking? Shut Embiid down, shut George down?

They owe a top 6 protected pick to OKC (they traded this to dump Horford back in 2020). Currently they are 20-33 just one game back of Brooklyn (19-34) for the 6th worst record and within possible range of catching (17-37) for the 5th worst. Going from 7th to 6th or 5th would boost the odds of keeping their pick from 32%->45.8%->64%.

Embid has already said he thinks he needs another surgery, meanwhile although they could very well catch the Bulls for the 10th seed they are still 5 games behind the 9th seeded Magic so pulling above 10th seems unlikely. Then what? Two road games just to get waxed by the Cav's in the 1-8 if you make it?

It makes all the sense in the world for these guys to pack it in.

It does.  It also makes me vomit, thinking that they could end up with Flagg.

Ya hopefully Silver can fix it so he doesn't end up on that dumpster fire of a franchise.

This raises a question, out of lets say the top 9 teams in the NBA draft (WAS, NOP, UTA, CHA, TOR, BRK, PHI, CHI, POR) where would people WANT Flagg to end up? In terms of good fit, likely to win, most entertaining, ect.

To answer my own question.

CHI- Dedicated to mediocrity. That's a no.
PHI- Stuck with Embiid as an anchor around their neck. That's a no.
TOR- They've been pretty dumb lately trade/ free agency wise. That's a no.
BRK- Preferably he'd go to a team further along in the rebuild.
POR- Actually this would be fine. Have some interesting young guys that he'd fit decently next to.
CHA- Playing next to Ball would be fun, but i don't trust this franchise not to squander him.
UTA- Has the picks and assets to rapidly build around him, but you'd prefer a team with another high level young guy already there.
NOP- Cursed franchise. Nope.
Was- The franchise does not have a great track record, but they've been better recently. Have some decent young guys he might fit with.

So my pick would probably be UTA>POR>CHA>WAS just in terms of best situations for him.

PHI actually plays BRK today. Low key big game for draft positioning.

[Phantom255x]

I'm not someone who fat-shames, but I got to say it's hilarious to see the Mavericks governor talk about "Luka's condition", and basically saying he's fat and out of shape directly to everyone with his quotes and statement. Brother, have you looked at yourself? This guy was practically waddling the other night getting to his seat.

Also, citing other NBA greats that had "amazing work ethics" and one of them being Shaq? LOL. Kobe and many others have said Shaq's work ethic sucked. This guy is clueless.

[Phantom255x]

Speaking of Embiid, he says he needs another surgery to get right and is sitting out games for "management", yet apparently he was good to go for the Olympics with not many restrictions 

[radiohead]

The Jazz are crushing the Lakers after 3 quarters. Let?s see if this holds.

[Phantom255x]

Apparently Hayes left with an injury for LAL

Who is their backup center? Lebron?

[Goldstar88]

Lakers getting smoked by the Jazz. 

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Lol - Paul George with 2 points in a Philly loss.

One concern I have is if somehow the league gets Flagg to Philly.

[Birdman]

Cracks me up on some ppl thinking Lakers are top 4 team in West, they won?t make it past 1st round

[Who]

Clippers lineup last night

G: K Dunn
G: N Powell, Bogdanovic, A Coffey
F: J Harden, Derrick Jones Jr
F: K Leonard, Batum
C: Zubac

Interesting rotation. Smaller lineup with Harden alongside 2 guards and only 1 forward in the starting unit. And then the bench rotation with no backup PG or backup center. Just 4 wing players.

Kawhi with 25pts 5reb 4ast 3stl. They could be a problem in the playoffs if Kawhi can stay healthy and be this productive. Kawhi averaging 18ppg in 28mpg over his last 10 games. 46% FG% 36% 3PT%. Clippers 6 wins 4 losses over that period as they try to re-integrate him.

[Who]

Following Tuesday?s 106-103 loss to the Toronto Raptors, 76ers forward Paul George was asked if playing with Joel Embiid is a bigger challenge than anticipated.

Embiid is unusual as a ball-dominant and highly skilled 7-foot-2 center in an era in which perimeter players usually dominate the game. There?s no real comparison to playing with a center of his stature.

?Absolutely,? George said. ?You know, absolutely. I?d be lying if I said I thought I came in here and I thought this would be an easy process. It?s been challenging. It?s definitely been challenging.

?But I?m here to learn and figure it out. He?s an unbelievable talent. He makes the game easy with just his presence, his attention that he draws. But it?s been a challenge.?

George had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting to go with two steals and two turnovers against the Raptors.

In 16 games with Embiid this season, the nine-time All-Star is averaging 13.9 points on 40.1% shooting from the field ? including 31 of 98 (31.6%) on three-pointers. However, in 18 games without Embiid, George averages 18.9 points on 45% shooting, including 51 of 123 (41.4%) on threes.

Man, that is a huge difference in production for PG13 when playing with Embiid vs no Embiid.

?Obviously, offensively, we had our spells,? Embiid said of building chemistry. ?The other times, it looked like we were still learning how to play with each other. So we?ve just got to keep working on it, keep being consistent, and keep trusting each other.?

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-paul-george-joel-embiid-stats-20250212.html

Some more on this issue from a differ article

On Friday, he finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting ? including making 2 of 3 three-pointers ? in a 125-112 setback to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. However, the 6-foot-8 forward didn?t attempt his first shot until the 7-minute, 17-second mark of the first quarter, a frame in which he only took two shots. That led to George scoring just six points in the first half.

So, again, how can the Sixers get him more involved?

?Just we got to have better ball movement, better player movement, and be connected,? George said. ?I think we just got to play a little harder. I got to try to get out and make plays for myself sometimes, too.?

?I feel like we haven?t found the synergy slash energy with that group,? coach Nick Nurse said regarding George playing alongside Embiid and Maxey. ?Yet when it?s just him and Tyrese, there is more of a pop. That?s just on us needing some time. But it?s also just on our guys being in the right mindset. It?s going to be different. I don?t think you can let your energy drop. I think that?s what we struggled with.

?The big difference of that has really shown with overall energy and cohesiveness. And it shows up in the shooting numbers and transition numbers. It shows up in the rebounding numbers. Forget the shooting numbers.?

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-paul-george-must-play-better-with-joel-embiid-20250209.html

Another article blames injuries for PG13's performance

It was a hyperextended left knee, leading to a bone bruise on separate occasions. It was groin soreness. It was right ankle soreness. And now it is a torn tendon in his left pinkie.

Paul George?s first season with the 76ers has been marred by injuries.

George had hoped to form a dominating Big Three along with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. But injuries have seemingly cut short any type of momentum toward that goal.

The 6-foot-8 George has missed 19 of the Sixers? 50 games due to injuries and load management.

Wow, so he has missed 40% of the games. That is awful.

?It?s super frustrating,? George said. ?Super frustrating, especially, coming in with big goals and what I wanted to accomplish and what the team wants to accomplish, and then to always have these setbacks. It?s super frustrating, I for sure feel it.

?But you know all the bad luck, something has to change. That?s all I can kind of weigh on is, things will change. There are positives in all of it. I just got to weather the storm.?

[Who]

Isaiah Collier last 22 games = 29.7mpg 10.2ppg 8.2apg 4rpg 44.7% FG% only 3.1 turnovers per game.

He has been getting better as the season has gone on after a slow start.

He is still struggling with his jump-shot. About half of his shots coming inside the paint and shooting only 29% FG% (34.7% eFG%) on jump-shots.

[Redz]

On another Philly note:  my preseason bet on the Sixers going over 50 wins was officially declared a loser.  It has been an unofficial loser since November!

What a flop.

[Vermont Green]

Following Tuesday?s 106-103 loss to the Toronto Raptors, 76ers forward Paul George was asked if playing with Joel Embiid is a bigger challenge than anticipated.

Embiid is unusual as a ball-dominant and highly skilled 7-foot-2 center in an era in which perimeter players usually dominate the game. There?s no real comparison to playing with a center of his stature.

?Absolutely,? George said. ?You know, absolutely. I?d be lying if I said I thought I came in here and I thought this would be an easy process. It?s been challenging. It?s definitely been challenging.

?But I?m here to learn and figure it out. He?s an unbelievable talent. He makes the game easy with just his presence, his attention that he draws. But it?s been a challenge.?

George had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting to go with two steals and two turnovers against the Raptors.

In 16 games with Embiid this season, the nine-time All-Star is averaging 13.9 points on 40.1% shooting from the field ? including 31 of 98 (31.6%) on three-pointers. However, in 18 games without Embiid, George averages 18.9 points on 45% shooting, including 51 of 123 (41.4%) on threes.

Man, that is a huge difference in production for PG13 when playing with Embiid vs no Embiid.

?Obviously, offensively, we had our spells,? Embiid said of building chemistry. ?The other times, it looked like we were still learning how to play with each other. So we?ve just got to keep working on it, keep being consistent, and keep trusting each other.?

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-paul-george-joel-embiid-stats-20250212.html

Some more on this issue from a differ article

On Friday, he finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting ? including making 2 of 3 three-pointers ? in a 125-112 setback to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. However, the 6-foot-8 forward didn?t attempt his first shot until the 7-minute, 17-second mark of the first quarter, a frame in which he only took two shots. That led to George scoring just six points in the first half.

So, again, how can the Sixers get him more involved?

?Just we got to have better ball movement, better player movement, and be connected,? George said. ?I think we just got to play a little harder. I got to try to get out and make plays for myself sometimes, too.?

?I feel like we haven?t found the synergy slash energy with that group,? coach Nick Nurse said regarding George playing alongside Embiid and Maxey. ?Yet when it?s just him and Tyrese, there is more of a pop. That?s just on us needing some time. But it?s also just on our guys being in the right mindset. It?s going to be different. I don?t think you can let your energy drop. I think that?s what we struggled with.

?The big difference of that has really shown with overall energy and cohesiveness. And it shows up in the shooting numbers and transition numbers. It shows up in the rebounding numbers. Forget the shooting numbers.?

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/sixers-paul-george-must-play-better-with-joel-embiid-20250209.html

Another article blames injuries for PG13's performance

It was a hyperextended left knee, leading to a bone bruise on separate occasions. It was groin soreness. It was right ankle soreness. And now it is a torn tendon in his left pinkie.

Paul George?s first season with the 76ers has been marred by injuries.

George had hoped to form a dominating Big Three along with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. But injuries have seemingly cut short any type of momentum toward that goal.

The 6-foot-8 George has missed 19 of the Sixers? 50 games due to injuries and load management.

Wow, so he has missed 40% of the games. That is awful.

?It?s super frustrating,? George said. ?Super frustrating, especially, coming in with big goals and what I wanted to accomplish and what the team wants to accomplish, and then to always have these setbacks. It?s super frustrating, I for sure feel it.

?But you know all the bad luck, something has to change. That?s all I can kind of weigh on is, things will change. There are positives in all of it. I just got to weather the storm.?

I think Paul George is just cooked.  Injuries, wear and tear, whatever.  Blaming Embiid is a cop out.  Embiid has hardly played either

[keevsnick]

After the 76ers loss to BRK lats night they are now tied for 6th place in the lottery odds both with a 20-34 record. Honestly that game should be the nail in coffin, Phili needs to tank and try to keep their pick. The difference between a pick 1-6 in a loaded draft and no pick at all is just massive for their future.